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Nigeria records third defeat under Peseiro in Algeria

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2 years ago

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The Super Eagles of Nigeria were defeated 2-1 by the Desert Foxes of Algeria in a friendly match on Tuesday.

Nigeria surrendered an early game lead and got punished by the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran, Algeria.

Jose Peseiro entered the game with depleted attacking options as Victor Osimhen and Sadiq Umar were out battling injuries.

With limited options, he sent Terem Moffi as the lone striker with Kelechi Iheanacho as the creative cog between the attack and midfield that had Alex Iwobi, Frank Onyenka and flanked by Moses Simon and Ademola Lookman.

The Eagles began the game the hungrier of both sides, pouring forward in numbers and purpose.

The team then took the lead in the 8th minute after the ball bounced awkwardly into the path of Terem Moffi right in front of the Algeria goal mouth. The FC Lorient striker toed the ball home to send the Eagles ahead.

The home side almost replied immediately after Zaidu Sanusi headed waywardly, setting Youcef Bilaili on goal.

Although Bilaili pushed the ball beyond a prone Uzoho, Riyad Mahrez could only hit the side of the post from the ensuing scrap-up.

It could have been two nil in the 28th minute after Mustapha Zengha spilled Iheanacho’s shot in the path of Moffi, who teed up Lookman — but the latter was ruled offside after putting the ball into the net.

Iheanacho called the goalkeeper into action, sending two successive shots into his palms.

The home team began exerting themselves in the game, with Uzoho forced to save two freekicks.

Mahrez and Islam Slimani bombarded Sanusi on the right side of the Eagles’ defence as cracks began to manifest.

The pressure paid off for Algeria in the 40th minute. Ramy Bensebaini reacted quickest to a rebound off a shot, and Onyeka dived into a tackle only to take the Algerian down.

Mahrez sent Uzoho the wrong way from the resultant penalty.

Desert Foxes completed the comeback in the 60th minute after Uzoho punched a corner kick and a couple of passes set it nicely for Youcef Attal, who sent 35-yard piledriver flying into the left bottom corner.

The result means Peseiro has lost three of his six games as Nigeria’s coach. The first two defeats were against Mexico and Ecuador.

Nigeria will play Portugal next in an international friendly billed for November 17.

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Juventus ordered to pay Ronaldo €9.7m unpaid salaries

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2 days ago

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April 18, 2024 10:01 am

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Juventus must pay Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo 9.7 million euros ($10.4 million) in back wages for the 2020-21 season, the Italian courts announced on Wednesday.

The Court of Arbitration, to which Ronaldo appealed, “orders Juventus Turin to pay the sum of 9,774,166.66 euros”, plus interest and procedural costs, it stated in its decision.

The sum equates to the difference between the salary actually received by Ronaldo and that which he should have received after tax and other deductions.

Ronaldo, who spent three seasons in Italy with Juventus (2018-21) before joining Manchester United (2021-22) and then the Saudi club Al Nassr, was claiming 19.5 million euros but the arbitration panel reduced that by 50 per cent.

Contacted by AFP, Juventus declined to comment, but said it would be issuing a statement “shortly”.

According to the rankings drawn up by the American business magazine Forbes, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was the world’s highest-paid sportsman in 2023, with $136 million, including $46 million in wages.

Juventus, who are listed on the stock exchange, recorded losses of 123.7 million euros in the 2022-23 financial year, which ran to the end of June, it announced in October.

No provision has been made in the accounts of Italian football’s most successful club, currently third in Serie A, for the payment of this wages backlog.

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EPL to adopt semi-automated offside technology next season

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6 days ago

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April 13, 2024 12:19 pm

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The English Premier League (EPL) says semi-automated offside technology will be used in matches from next season.

The league announced the decision in a statement on its website on Thursday.

The decision was made after a unanimous agreement by all the clubs at a Premier League Shareholders’ meeting.

The technology will be ready for use from the 2024/25 season after the autumn international breaks.

“The new system will be used for the first time in the Premier League next season, and it is anticipated the technology will be ready to be introduced after one of the autumn international breaks,” the statement reads.

“The technology will provide quicker and consistent placement of the virtual offside line, based on optical player tracking, and will produce high-quality broadcast graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters.”

The first usage of the semi-automated offside technology in top-level football was at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The offside rule has been subjected to change in recent years, with the video assistant referee (VAR) technology also deployed to assist the on-field officials in checking for offside calls leading to a goal.

The EPL further updated its offside rule in the summer of 2023 to include that “a player who is clearly offside should not become onside on every occasion when an opponent moves and touches the ball.”

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Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya sets to break Guinness World Record

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6 days ago

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April 13, 2024 12:17 pm

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Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya has revealed plans to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.

Onakoya who made the plan known on his X account on Friday said that he is “doing this for the dreams of millions of children across Africa without access to education.”

He added that the attempt will hold on April 17th at the New York City’s Times Square and he is to play chess for 58 hours without a single defeat.

He wrote, “On the 17th of April 2024, I will attempt to break the Guiness World record for the longest Chess marathon in the heart of Times Square New York City for 58 hours without losing a game. Doing this for the dreams of millions of children across Africa without access to education.”

Onakoya disclosed that the attempt will start at 10am and would be available for all to stream on YouTube.

He appealed to Nigerians residing in New York, urging them to come forward and provide their enthusiastic support as he strives to establish a new world record.

Tunde Onakoya is renowned for his philanthropic efforts, notably utilizing chess as a tool to offer opportunities for young people residing in the marginalized areas, often referred to as ‘slums,’ within the country.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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